The Forgotten
by atrumdraco
Summary: They say to be forgotten is worse than death but no-one knows it like the lost souls hidden deep within the forest. Have you ever wondered why it's called the Forbidden Forest? It's so that no-one finds out about them, those that are... The Forgotten...
1. Prologue: It Starts

**Disclaimer: **I'm only going to say this once, I do not own anything from the HP universe, and it all belongs to JK Rowling. Who is not me, so don't make that mistake.

**Author's Note: **Hi all! Here's one of my other stories to keep you all occupied while I can't keep you all entertained with my Inevitable trilogy due to the fact that the book I'm writing it in is in storage. Hope you all like this story enough to review. Ciao!

Warnings: Strong violence, strong language, scenes of a sexual nature (mainly kissing), contains slash (same sex pairing), sensitive topic/issue/theme and substance use and/or abuse. These warnings apply to the whole story and can be found anywhere within it or not at all, I like to play on the safe side when it comes to warnings.

**Prologue: It Starts**

_Find out who exactly The Forgotten are and why they are Forgotten..._

A castle stood proud, silent and unnoticed by many in the wild hills of the Scottish moors and unlike those that had built it, it was still so very young. All of the castle's entrances had been closed and fortified against intruders, magical or otherwise, for three of the four that had founded it had no wish to tangle with those outside without proper precautions set in place.  
The clouds that had been covering the sky for days finally parted and began to disappear, revealing an unnaturally dark night sky even though the full glowing globe of the moon was shining. The moonlight shone down on the lands below and revealed the two dozen or so figures standing silently around the castle. The figures standing around the castle were an even mixture of males and females and everyone of them had the same bleach blonde hair, incredibly pale skin, eyes that were either grey or molten silver and each of them were wearing the same non-descript robes in a soft grey colour.

Each of the men and women were trying desperately to hear the voice of their Leader, or more importantly, their Lord through the castle's walls. They had tried so fiercely to follow as their Leader and their Lord had been taken into the castle by the other three humans, who had finally found out about them and were horrified at what their Lord had done. So now the men and women were standing around the castle, patiently waiting for either their Leader or Lord to come back out and tell them what to do.

While the two dozen or so men and women waited patiently outside a heated argument was going on inside the castle.

"Those things must be destroyed!" said a males voice angrily.

"Why? Because they won't listen to you, is that it Godric?" asked another male but instead of anger this one's voice was filled with contempt.

"That's not fair Salazar!" stated a women's voice angrily.

"Why is it unfair Rowena?" asked Salazar his contempt deepening as he watched the fools before him.

"Salazar, what's happened to you?" asked a fourth voice, also female, breaking the anger with her worried tone.

"Don't Helga, he's not the same as he used to be" said Godric soothingly, as he put a comforting arm around Helga's shoulders.

"You three are fools for not seeing the brilliance in what I have done" said Salazar arrogantly.

"Brilliance! What is so brilliant about those things?" asked Rowena in disbelief.

"Why their power and purity of course" replied Salazar as though it was obvious.

"Okay I'll admit that, even though it's depraved, the one's outside aren't that bad but why in Merlin's name did you make that?" said Godric once more getting angry and he flung his arm in the direction of a large clear like bubble and pointed his finger at the figure sitting within.

The figure within the bubble was definitely male and like those outside he was dressed in non-descript robes of a soft grey colour but that is where any similarities ended, for while those outside stood from five-six to five-nine feet in height the one in the bubble would reach roughly six feet when he stood to his full height. The man in the bubble was different in other ways as well; such as the fact that he had jet black hair and golden brown, perfectly unblemished, skin. Then, as though he knew he was being discussed, the man raised his head to reveal facial features that were almost too beautiful, perfectly symmetrical and eyes that were a luminescent pearl colour without any pupils, irises or whites to distinguish between.

"What? Don't you like Ash?" asked Salazar amused.

"That thing is an abomination" said Helga with conviction.

"There's nothing wrong with Ash" said Salazar calmly.

"Except that he's a blood thirsty monster!" retorted Rowena angrily.

"The others wouldn't be so bad if you hadn't created that thing to lead them!" stated Godric righteously.

"Without Ash the others would be helpless!" said Salazar outraged, then as he saw the look the other three shared realization dawned and he added viciously "But that's what you want isn't it? You're not so much angry with the fact that Ash was created as with the fact the he was created to lead the others!"

"Correct and I'm afraid that means we can't let this one live" said Godric matter-of-factly.

"I won't let you destroy them!" said Salazar and he turned to look Ash in the eye.

Seconds passed as Salazar and Ash stared at each other then suddenly Ash smiled, revealing pointed teeth and like most carnivores his upper and lower canines were longer than the rest of his teeth.

"What have you done Salazar?" asked Rowena suspiciously.

"Nothing much" replied Salazar grimly.

"Before we do anything else tell us, where is the child?" asked Godric.

"What child?" asked Salazar curiously.

"Don't play dumb with us! We know one of your creations had a child but it is no longer with the rest of them, so where is it?" demanded Helga.

"I don't know, perhaps Ash told it to leave" said Salazar with a shrug.

Because he wasn't paying that much attention to the three before him, Salazar was caught totally off guard when Godric hit him with a stunning spell. When his Lord was knocked unconscious Ash immediately got to his feet and, even though it was hard to tell, fixed his gaze on the traitorous three before him while a threatening growl rumbled in his throat. A look of shock crossed the faces of the three before him at his unexpected reaction but the shock was quickly replaced with resolve as the three pointed their wands at the creature in the bubble and with one voice shouted "Avada Kedavra".

Ash stood stock still as his impending death rushed towards him and just before the three curses hit him an evil smile crossed his features, then the curses hit and he dropped to the ground, dead but something remained behind, undetectable in his dead body. With grim determination the three conjured a stretcher, placed the dead body on it and cautiously went outside. When those outside saw the body of their Leader they stared with indecision, unsure about what they should do now.

"Come on we're going to give him a decent burial" said Helga kindly and at her words Salazar's creations followed the three trustingly into the forest.

So the group headed deep into the depths of the middle aged forest that had been left to grow on the grounds of the school, where Ash was buried deeper than necessary under the ground, then because they did not have the heart to kill such trusting creatures Godric, Rowena and Helga trapped the other creations in a dream like dimension that would, unknowingly to them, over time become highly unstable.

"I'm glad none of the students were here to witness this" said Godric feeling as though a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

"I agree and I think we will have to make the forest forbidden for everyone from now on and I guess we can do that by saying that some dangerous animals have moved into it" said Rowena wisely.

"Which is the truth, though I suppose we'll have to find a way to make sure the new Headmasters know the real reason the forest is forbidden and why it is so dangerous" added Helga.

"Hmm, I agree I would really hate it if a Headmaster in the future got lax about his responsibilities and allowed children into the forest and then lost them if they accidentally stumbled into that dimension we made" said Godric thoughtfully.

"Come on, we can discuss this in the warmth of the castle where we can also explain to Salazar what we have done" said Rowena and the three of them returned to the castle, each of them thinking with dread what would happen to any students that accidentally stumbled across the dimension hidden deep within the forest.


	2. Chapter One: Whispers

**Disclaimer: **See Prologue.

**Author's Note: **This is a story that I just had the idea for one day and so I had to write it to get it out of my head, but it grew on me and so reviews would be much appreciated

**Chapter One: Whispers**

_Whispering voices call to two students, leading them to a dangerous fate..._

The night was dark, unnaturally so, considering there was a full moon shining and not a cloud to be seen anywhere. Sixth months had already passed at Hogwarts, school of witchcraft and wizardry and two students, both in their sixth year, had been hearing whispering voices calling out to them since their respective birthdays. Now on this night, a night that long ago saw trusting, helpless creatures trapped within the forest, the whispering voices finally coalesced into understandable words. The whisperer's were singing, a siren's song so enchanting that the two that were being called awoke and left their beds, though they were moving as if they were still asleep.

'_Inside a world of dreams we wait,_

_From here we cannot escape'._

Both students, moving with slow precise steps, left their respective dormitories which were at opposite ends of the castle and started the long trek to the entrance hall.

'_A promise made is long forgotten,_

_So it falls to the sons to fix the broken'._

The two students reached the entrance at the same time, their progress had been unhindered for the same enchanting voices that called to them had sent everyone else into a deep, dreamless sleep. So the two students left the castle unnoticed and each were oblivious of the other because of their trance-like states. With the same slow, precise movements, the two fell into step and headed for the forest.

'_Come children of the liars,_

_You will fulfil our desire'._

As the two entered the forest the singing, as though it was turned off at a power point, stopped and left the night eerily quiet. When the music stopped the two stumbled, then shook their heads, as though they were trying to clear them. It didn't take the two long to realize where they were and with that realization came the one that they were not alone. With exaggerated care, as though a sudden movement would mean their death, the two turned their head in the direction of the other. Emerald green and dark grey eyes widened slightly when the minds behind them registered who they were looking at but before anything could be said the music returned.

'_To be free is all we wish, _

_Free from this prison that shouldn't exist'._

Deep into the forest the two continued to walk, their minds once more taken from them by the singers with the enchanting voices. Then, unnoticed by either of them, the two reached the centre of the forest where reality had an odd distortion to it. The entire area looked like a mirage but the two were unfazed as they continued through some sort of field into a created and highly unstable dimension. There on the other side were those that had called the two and they continued to sing, drawing the two to the centre of this strange place.

'_Then we will have our revenge,_

_On the world that turned against our Lord'._

At the centre of the dimension, a strange archaic alter had been built in the exact spot where centuries before a decidedly unpleasant being had been buried. The singing had finally stopped and the two, both young men, were no longer in their trance-like states but they had already discovered that they could not move a muscle or make a sound. Then all those that were the females of those that had called them gathered around one of the boys, they had gathered around the one that looked eerily like them and without a word they picked him up and left.

Now only the males were left and they picked up the raven haired boy and tied him face down on the altar. Then with a wicked looking serrated dagger, one of them cut off the boy's pyjama top. Next eleven of the twelve formed a circle around the alter and begun an ancient dance that would make the blood of all who saw it run cold and they once again begun to sing. Though this time the women weren't singing and the song was in a different language, a language that would send shivers down the backs of those who heard it and that, if listened to long enough, could send the listeners insane.

'**Deaner bente oza Lartharna lyas,**

**Walen un abin talarna gyra bie'.**

The twelfth man, the one with the dagger, also sung but he did not join in with the dance. For with the start of the song he had placed the dagger to the back of the boy and had begun to cut it.

'**Byt thyn wel Nattai feneveni bay,**

**Fen shren oza Lartharna wel bay fez'.**

The raven haired boy let out screams that no-one heard as the dagger cut open his back in a strange pattern.

'**Thea trena hym deyd,**

**Theta wiz ay lya'.**

Already blood was flowing freely from the cuts but there was still awhile until the ritual was finished. The man with the dagger had not lifted it from the boys back even once, for if he did that then all their carefully laid plans would be for nought.

'**Hys bozan deyid, yarz itiz tharn,**

**Hys szal rarmyld tis sen thygs thezna'.**

Slowly but surely a pattern was emerging but what the whorls and swirls meant is anyone's guess. There was no longer any movement from the boy but he was not yet dead, he'd merely passed out from the pain and loss of blood.

'**Shay wit thyn dayla,**

**Wawel brye hym burca'.**

Even with all the blood the daggers wielder had not faltered in his movements even once. It was no longer possible to see the forming pattern because of the blood but it was easy to see that whatever it was, it was going to cover all of the boys back.

'**Ay nenta hona hos bis flayd,**

**Byt ayna, iti muke bay shedan'.**

The dance, which had slowly been getting faster, finally reached a crescendo. There was a strange feeling to the air as the ritual neared its end, the air felt exactly like it does right before a massive and destructive storm hits. The slicing of the boys back had finally been halted but the dagger was kept where it had finished, at the base of the boys neck, as the song reached its end.

'**Wit thyn cyn wa aet dinai,**

**Ope theiz fylarna shedas hys byne'.**

As soon as the last word of the song was done, the man holding the dagger bought it up in one quick and fluid motion and slit his own throat. His blood sprayed all over the boys back mixing with the blood that was already there. As the two bloods mixed they hissed and smoked, looking for the entire world as though someone had chucked some water onto a fire.

When their companion was well and truly dead, the other eleven men carefully moved the body off the body of the boy, which is where it had fallen as it died. Then with extreme delicacy, as though the boy was a precious stone, they begun to wash away all the blood. When they were finished cleaning away the blood, the eleven men looked with awe at the marking left behind. It looked a lot like a black tattoo and it did indeed cover the boys back, it stretched in strange curling whorls and swirls, from the shoulders to the waistline. Unlike with a normal tattoo though, the skin that was black was slightly lower than the rest of the skin, kind of like what you would get from a branding.

Knowing that it had to be done even though it would totally exhaust them, the eleven men gathered all of the magic they had so that they could send the boy back to his bed. Once that was done they wondered to themselves if the boy would believe it all to have been a dream? If so, then he'd be surprised when he found the markings or when their Leader spoke to him, whichever one came first.

They didn't know how long it would take but they knew that soon they'd be free and then the world that had trapped them, and then had the audacity to forget them, would be sorry.


	3. Chapter Two: Voices

**Disclaimer: **See Prologue

**Chapter Two: Voices**

_Harry's hearing voices that no-one else can hear, is he finally losing his mind? Or is there something more sinister going on...?..._

The next morning the students and teachers of Hogwarts woke to a fierce, yet unnaturally silent, blizzard blowing outside. So instead of going out and mucking around in the snow, as many of the students wanted too, everyone had to stay inside where it was safe. Hermione took this chance to drag Ron and Harry to the Library to work on their homework, after much grumbling and complaining Harry and Ron agreed to go with her. So the three of them grabbed their homework and went to the Library where they sat at a fairly isolated table and set about getting their work done. The three had been working comparatively quiet for about an hour when Harry suddenly heard a sinuous, hypnotic voice speak within his mind.

*Now is not this a cosy atmosphere?*

"What the?" said Harry, so startled by the unexpected voice that he accidentally spoke out loud.

"What's wrong?" asked Hermione curiously.

"Hmm? Nothing, I just thought I heard something" answered Harry dismissively, remembering Ron and Hermione telling him that even in the magical world hearing voices wasn't good.

Ron and Hermione shared a look before Ron leant in a little closer and in a quiet voice said "It wasn't You-Know-Who, was it?"

"No, nothing like that, don't worry about it I probably just zoned out for a second or something, that's all" replied Harry even though he knew he'd done no such thing.

"Okay, if you say so" said Ron sceptically but he and Hermione left it at that knowing that Harry would tell them what the problem was when he was ready to.

The hypnotic voice was the only clear one Harry heard but over the next hour his head was filled with patched sentences that didn't seem to make sense. The voices weren't the only thing affecting Harry though; he was also seeing strange and unknown images. The images were mainly of a cold eyed man who was sometimes smiling with pride or laughing joyously, giving gentle encouragement, scowling in exasperation and even once lying unnaturally still in an unseen room. Where all these images and voices could be coming from or what they could mean Harry had no idea, what he did know was that they were giving him a headache and were filling him with a nameless dread he could not understand.

For the whole hour Ron and Hermione watched Harry with worry and they noticed the way he continually pinched the bridge of his nose, the constant shakes of his head, and the grimaces of pain that marred his features and clouded his eyes. Ron and Hermione watched all this quietly for the hour before finally deciding that enough was enough.

"Harry mate, what's wrong?" asked Ron.

"It's nothing really… except that…" said Harry softly.

"Except what?" asked Hermione worriedly.

"I've got all these images and voices jumping around in my head that aren't mine and the scariest thing is that they don't belong to Voldemort either" replied Harry wincing as a sharp pain throbbed through his temporal lobe.

"What kind of voices?" asked Ron at the same time as Hermione asked "What kind of images?"

"The images seem to centre around a man I do not know and in all of them he is laughing or smiling, teaching, exasperated as well as tons of other emotions and there is an image that brings deep, powerful anger. An image of the man lying as though dead in a room I cannot see, there are also lots of images of a group of people that look a lot like Malfoy and all these images give me the sense that I should recognize them" responded Harry grimacing.

"Okay, now about these voices what are they saying?" said Hermione thinking furiously.

"Well, what I hear the strongest and what seems to be said the most is some kind of chant" replied Harry.

"How does that chant go?" asked Ron curiously.

"It starts off with, '**Deaner bente oza Lartharna lyas, Walen un abin talarna gyra bie**…'" started Harry but when he saw the look on his friend's faces he asked worriedly "Are you two okay?"

"What kind of language is that?" asked Hermione her face unnaturally white.

"I don't know but it's the language the chant is in" said Harry looking between his two friends uncertainly.

"Do you know what it means?" asked Ron hoarsely.

"Yeah, it literally translates as, 'Down below our Leader lies, While up above time goes by'" said Harry with a shrug, not understanding himself why he could understand the weird language.

"What is the rest of it? But please say it in English, I don't think I could handle hearing anymore of that other language" said Hermione with a shudder while Ron nodded his agreement.

"Sure no problem, let's see… the rest translates into this

'But this will not forever be, For soon our Leader will be free'

'They thought him dead, That was a lie'

'His body died, yes it's true, His soul remained to see things through'

'So with this dance, We bring him back'

'A new home has been found, But alas, it must be shared'

'With this cut we are done, One that's faithful shares his blood'

That's it in its entirety but what it could mean I have no idea" explained Harry with a shrug.

"That all has an ominous sound to it" said Hermione her colour slowly returning to normal.

*I must say, you have lead an interesting life and this body is not bad though I am going to have to make a few changes* said the hypnotic voice suddenly and startling Harry so fiercely that he almost fell off his chair.

"Harry! What just happened?" asked Ron.

"There's a voice that's different to all the rest it's stronger, more powerful and I get the feeling that it's dangerous somehow" replied Harry shaking his head.

"Perhaps you should tell Dumbledore about it" suggested Hermione wisely.

*NO!* said something deep within Harry fiercely.

"N-no, I think I'll wait until something actually happens so that I have actual evidence" said Harry with a shake of the head while deep within something relaxed.

"Are you sure?" asked Ron.

"Yeah, now if you'll excuse me I think I'll go have a lie down, I have one killer of a headache" said Harry gathering his stuff together.

"Right, we'll see you later" said Ron looking down at his work and grimacing.

"See you later and I hope you're feeling better soon" said Hermione with a smile.

"Thanks, see you both later" said Harry and he left the Library and headed back to the Gryffindor dormitories where he could have a nap and hopefully get rid of his headache.


	4. Chapter Three: The Marking

**Disclaimer: **See Prologue

**Author's Note: **Right, so words that are between these * are in the mind and Ash's voice shall always be in italics. Read, enjoy and review, everyone who does gets cookies.

**Chapter Three: The Marking**

_The marking is discovered and several meanings for it are discovered but are any of them the right one...?..._

Harry awoke to a dormitory that was dark and filled with the soft sounds of his sleeping dorm mates. Realising that he must have slept through the day Harry glanced at his watch and was shocked to discover that it read six a.m. Then he got another shock when he realized that he could see what his watch said even though it was dark and he was without his glasses.

That wasn't the only thing that was different; somehow he could sense that his whole body had changed. Somehow he knew that his whole body was stronger, faster, better and he could sense that not only was his sight stronger but so were all his other senses as well. He also knew that his teeth had changed, all of them were sharp and his upper and lower canines had elongated like those of a carnivore.

*_How do you like the changes Harry Potter__?_* came the sinuously hypnotic voice unexpectedly.

Startled, Harry looked around but there was no-one to see and he realized that the voice was once more speaking inside his mind, so he asked into his own head *Did you change it?*

*_Of course_*.

*Why?*

*_Because it was not powerful enough, nor was it attractive enough for my taste_*

*But it's my body! And how could you know anything about it? I've never met you and who are you anyway?* demanded Harry his anger breaking through.

*_I am Ash__!_*

*Okay, Ash… Now, how can you know anything about me?*

*_Because I am inside of you and every time you sleep I will get stronger_*

*Then I'll just have to have you removed!* said Harry triumphantly.

Harry's pride in his thought vanished as Ash started to laugh darkly and faint stirrings of fear traced their way through him as Ash said with cold amusement *_Oh no Harry Potter oh no, it is much too late for that; far too late_* and Ash's laughter and words faded away into nothing.

Harry felt strangely dirty after Ash left and because he didn't want to go back to bed, especially after what Ash had said, he decided to have a shower. So he grabbed a change of clothes and headed for the bathroom, where he turned on the light and stopped gob-smacked when he saw his reflection for it was completely different. Then he realized that it wasn't actually him looking out of the mirror, for the man in the mirror had to be around eighteen years of age. The man in the mirror also had jet black hair, though his skin was golden brown and blemish free. His features were almost too beautiful, perfectly symmetrical and his eyes were a luminescent pearl colour without any pupils, irises or whites to distinguish between.

"Ash?" said Harry in awed disbelief.

The figure in the mirror gave him a wickedly viscous smile before, and without changing in any noticeable way, becoming his own reflection.

*So that's what Ash looks like! No wonder he wanted to change my body* thought Harry as he turned on the shower, stripped off his clothes and climbed in.

Harry was glad that he'd decided to have a shower; he could feel his body relaxing and his worries melting away under the hot water. He knew that eventually he'd have to face the reality of his problems but for now he was glad to let the water wash all his cares away. However he soon found something else to add to his list of worries, as he was washing his back he felt a strangeness to it that had never been there before.

Confused as to what was wrong with his back Harry got out of the shower and turned so that he could see the reflection of his back in the mirror. When he saw what was on his back he couldn't help but to stare; for his back was covered in the strange whorls and curls of what looked like a black tattoo.

"What the fuck?" said Harry confused, though he felt that he should know where the mark had come from but it was like a half remembered dream.

When he concentrated on the marking he got a confused swelter of images; he was in the forest and someone he knew was there too, he was lying in bed, he was being drawn by a song, there were shadowy people doing a strange dance around him and overlaying it all was pain. A pain so intense that it wiped everything else from his mind. Harry wondered if he should now see Dumbledore, after all he had a name and weird marking to offer as evidence, though perhaps he should talk to Ron and Hermione first.

*_You know what else you could do__?_* said Ash's cold and hypnotic voice in his mind.

*I'm not going to do anything **you** suggest!* said Harry fiercely.

*_I was just going to suggest that perhaps you should try and find out what you can about the marking_*

*Why would you want to help me?* asked Harry suspiciously.

*_We are sharing the same body_* replied Ash, patiently cold.

*So?*

*_So_ _I also care about what happens to it_* said Ash with a faint, dark amusement in his tone.

*Why does it sound like you know something I don't?*

* _Because I do, I know a lot of things that you do not_*

*Why should I trust you?*

*_You_ _do not have to trust me, ask your friends what they think_*

*That's not a bad idea* Harry grudgingly admitted * But I will have to wait for them to wake up, it is early in the morning after all*.

*_Actually, the one you call Hermione is down in the common room_*.

*How can you possibly know that?*

*_I can sense her and you should dump the girl she is not the one for you, see you around Harry Potter_* said Ash fading from his mind.

*What! Why would I want to dump Ginny? I love her* thought Harry confused but there was no answer so with a shake of his head he got dressed and headed down to the common room to see if Ash was right.

Ash was right, Hermione was already up and working on her homework and Harry felt what felt like an 'I told you so' kind of feeling from the place in his mind that he was starting to associate with Ash. So Harry sat down in the armchair across from where Hermione was working and waited patiently for her to realize he was there. He knew that Hermione could get annoyed when she was interrupted while in the middle of writing. He'd been sitting there for half an hour, his legs curled up under him and half dozing, when Hermione finally finished what she was doing.

"Harry!" said Hermione startled.

"Wha?" said Harry dazed.

"What are you doing up at this hour?" asked Hermione giving him a look of concern.

"Well seeing as I slept pretty much all day yesterday and kept on sleeping through the night, I suppose I can no longer sleep any more" replied Harry wryly.

"Oh… Right! Of course, you had Ron and I really worried you know?"

"Sorry, but it's not like I personally set out to do that"

"I know, I'm just glad that you're feeling better, you are feeling better aren't you?" said Hermione a faint note of hope entering her tone.

"I am, the headaches are gone and the voices and images have faded!" said Harry feeling that, for the moment, he should keep quiet about Ash.

"That's great! So is there anything you want to talk about?"

"Now that you mention it, I just had a shower and I discovered a weird mark covering my back".

"What kind of weird mark?"

"It's like a black tattoo but it's sunk into the skin like a branding".

"Can I see it?"

"Sure" replied Harry with a shrug and he got up, turned around and lifted up his top so that Hermione could examine the marking.

"Where could you have gotten such a thing? It marks your whole back!" breathed Hermione in awe.

"I can't quite remember, when I think about it I get this confused swelter of images but I do remember that it hurt… a lot!"

"But you can't remember anything else, like who did it?"

"Nope, not a thing" said Harry putting his top back down and sitting back in his seat once he'd turned to face Hermione.

"Are you going to tell Dumbledore about it?"

"I was thinking that maybe I should find out what it's for and how I got it first".

"That might be a good idea" said Hermione thoughtfully.

"It might?" said Harry shocked that Ash would actually give him good, helpful advice.

"Don't sound so shocked you're bound to have a good idea sooner or later" said Hermione with a smile.

"I'm sure I am but why do you think it's a good idea?"

"Well if we found out how you got it and what's it for then we could figure out why someone marked you like that, why did you ask if we should find out what we can about it?"

"I'm curious to know why I was singled out and I don't want to look like an idiot if it turns out to be just a harmless mark".

"That's fair enough; do want to spend today looking through the Library for the meaning of the mark?"

"Yes, the sooner I know what's what the better".

"Right well, we'll wait for Ron and Ginny to get up because after all four people looking are better then two" said Hermione smiling.

"Okay, sounds good" said Harry with a smile of his own.

It was four hours later and Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny had already been in the Library working for two of them. The four friends were working in silence as they tried to find out what they could about Harry's strange marking. Harry himself was so lost in thought about Ash's cryptic remark to dump Ginny that he wasn't paying any attention to what he was doing.

"I think I've got it!" exclaimed Hermione at the same time as Ginny said "I think I've found something!"

"I've got something!" said Ron a second behind the other two.

"Huh?" said Harry coming out of his daze.

*_Your friends have found something_* interrupted Ash within.

*Shut up!* snarled Harry.

*_As you wish Harry Potter but only for now_* replied Ash amused.

With Ash's dominating presence gone from his mind Harry looked at his friends, only to find that they were all watching him with the same slightly worried expression.

"What?" asked Harry.

"Are you sure your okay?" questioned Hermione anxiously.

"Sure, now did you three say that you've found something?" said Harry closing his own book without looking at it and never noticing the picture of a man with a mark like his own on his back.

"Yes but it looks like they're all of a different meaning" replied Hermione.

"Well let's hear what they all are and then I guess I'll pick the one I like the most" said Harry jokingly, causing his friends to smile in relief.

"Right, well mine says that those who have been marked so are destined to be the greatest hero the world has ever seen" said Ginny simply.

"Oh great! Hero worship oh well it could have been worse I suppose, okay Ron what does yours say?"

"It says that the ones who wear the mark are destined to be the destroyers of reality" said Ron with a grimace.

"Ah?" said Harry while Hermione and Ginny looked appalled.

"And the last?" asked Harry looking at Hermione and secretly unsure if he wanted to know the answer.

"Mine is a spell that allows the caster to control the one who has been marked" said Hermione with a look of disgust.

"So I could be a hero, a destroyer or someone's trying to control me?"

"Plus we also have to consider that there are other meanings as well" pointed out Hermione logically.

"Great!"

"Don't worry, I'm sure that we'll figure it out and then we'll be able to fix it" said Ginny with a reassuring smile.

"Of course we will but I'd like to be by myself so I can think on it, so I think I'll go for a walk and I'll see you guy's later" said Harry giving his friends a weak kind of smile.

"Okay, see you later" said Hermione in understanding.

"If that's what you want" said Ginny calmly but uncertainty coloured every word for she didn't understand why Harry had been acting so oddly.

"All right mate, see you around" said Ron happy to go along.

"Thanks and I'll see you all later".

So Harry left the Library and walked around the school, instinctively heading for the places where there were no people. It was while he was deep in the castle, in a place he had never been before, that a familiarly different voice sounded from behind him.

"Potter?" said the voice with an odd questioning note to the tone.

With a jerk Harry spun around, noticing as he did so that hardly any light reached this part of the castle. Once he was facing the way he'd come from, Harry realized he recognized the young man who had been behind him.

*_Ahhh_* said Ash with a note of relief.

"Malfoy?" said Harry in recognition and then he blacked out.


	5. Chapter Four: Draco

**Disclaimer: **See Prologue

**Author's Note:** Hi all! I would just like to send out a big thank you to everyone who has reviewed this story (you know who you are, and if not then you have some serious problems ), for all of you I have cake! Ciao.

**Chapter Four: Draco**

_The truth about Draco finally comes to light..._

Two nights ago…

… Draco was incredibly shocked to find himself in the Forbidden Forest and he was even more shocked when he discovered that he was in there with Potter, of all people. So he was in the middle of the forest with Potter and a group of men and women who looked a lot like him; this night couldn't get any weirder. Then all those that were female came towards him and Draco was shocked once more when they picked him up and took him to some sort of cabin. Once they were in the cabin the twelve women stood him in the centre of the room and then stood around him in a circle. Okay so the night could get weirder.

It was only now that Draco realized that he could move but there was no-way he could escape; not surrounded by the women as he was. Funny thing was, the women didn't seem to want to hurt him; in fact they were watching him with some kind of reverence.

"Um… Hi?" said Draco, strangely unsure of himself under the stares of the women.

"Hello chosen one!" said one of the women in a very melodious voice.

"Chosen one? I think you have me mixed up with Potter out there" said Draco derisively, jerking his thumb in the direction of the door.

"Oh no! The Potter boy has been chosen by _us_ for something; you have been chosen by _Ash_!" said a different one of the women with exuberance, though she too had that very melodious voice.

"Let me guess, being chosen by this _Ash_, whoever that is, is a bigger deal then being chosen by the rest of you, right?" said Draco.

"Correct!" said another of the women in the exact same melodious voice as the first two.

"Why me?" asked Draco half curiously and half petulantly.

"Because your father made a promise to us!" replied one of the women in that melodious voice.

"Then he broke that promise!" said another of the women with that same melodious voice.

"And now you must fix it!" added yet another of the women in that melodious voice.

"Do you all have the same voice?" asked Draco deciding that he'd try and get the answer for this trivial question before he tried getting the answers for some of the more important ones he had.

"Yes, that is how we were created" answered yet another of the women.

"When did you meet my father?"

"When he was in his sixth year at the school"

"He accidentally stumbled into our home and of course as soon as we saw him we instantly knew who he was!"

"What… who… how?" asked Draco perplexed.

"Because blood recognizes blood and he and you are the descendents of Adara's son!"

"What… I… who's Adara?"

"I am" said one of the women stepping forward.

Draco found it easy to believe that this woman was his ancestor for she resembled him quite a bit, though because she was female she thus looked slightly more feminine. There was no denying the fact that he, Draco, looked feminine.

"I don't understand!" said Draco distraught, dropping to the ground.

"I will explain" said Adara gently, sitting down opposite him.

So for the next hour or so Adara told Draco everything, from who they were to their Leader Ash and their Lord; Salazar. Draco listened in awe as his penultimate grandmother told him about how they were created and how their Leader and their Lord were betrayed.

"What happened to the child?" asked Draco curiously once Adara had finished explaining.

"Ash must have seen something because he told Dirk and I that Damian would have to leave so of course we agreed with him; he is our Leader after all. Then Ash took Damian aside and spoke to him in private about something, we said our farewells and Damian left" replied Adara calmly without any hint of the anger any normal person would feel towards the person who sent their child away.

"Okay… but what does any of this have to do with me?"

"Ash has a plan to avenge out Lord!"

"Um… but didn't he die?" asked Draco now thoroughly confused.

"Not exactly, while it is true that his body died his soul remained and now all it needs is a new home".

"So where's it going to live?"

"That is what the Potter boy is for!"

"You're joking!?" exclaimed Draco in disbelief.

"No I'm not! It would have been his father who accidentally stumbled in here one day during his sixth year. But you see without a Leader to direct us we are not very good at making decisions and when we asked the father if he wanted to help us with something he said yes but then he asked if he could go and say goodbye to his friends and family. We being who we are agreed and never saw him again, Ash only recently got enough strength back to be able to talk to us fully" explained Adara passively.

"So what's my part in all of this?" asked Draco.

"If you are willing then you will become the tie that strengthens Ash's hold to his new body!"

"And how would I do that?"

"You must become his partner!"

"Pardon?" said Draco in stunned disbelief.

"If you agree your dormant abilities will awaken but first you would have to wait for the Potter boy to be alone so that you could approach him. This would cause Ash to appear and then this is what must be done..."...

... That is what had happened two nights ago and since then Draco had been following Potter around; trying to catch him on his own. Draco wasn't sure if he was willing to do what was required of him but Adara had assured him that if he did then he'd have the right to ask Ash to protect his family. So Draco was in a bind; should he refuse and let his family suffer or should he agree and become the partner of another male? It was a difficult choice either way.

Draco was currently standing in a hidden recess outside the Library waiting either for Potter to come out alone or for his friends to come out without him. He didn't have very high hopes for either of these because Potter didn't seem to go anywhere without the Weasel girl these days. For a second Draco wondered how the fact that Potter had a girlfriend was going to fit in with Ash's plans but then he realized that Ash would probably do something to make Potter dump the Weasel girl.

Draco was standing there trying to decide what he should do when suddenly Potter came out of the Library and for a wonder he was alone. Still unsure as to what he was going to do, Draco followed Potter, who seemed set on going to all the places that held no people. As they walked Draco made up his mind; he'd agree to Ash's terms if Ash agreed to keep his family safe, he would do anything to protect his family! So when he and Potter had reached a dim and unknown place deep within the castle Draco gathered his courage.

"Potter?" said Draco questioningly, still a little unsure to what he was agreeing too and he was startled by the sound of his own voice because although it was still the same it was also suddenly different; slightly melodious.

Draco watched as Potter jerked in startlement and spun around to face him, then he watched as Potters eyes darkened with hate as he was recognized.

"Malfoy?" said Potter in recognition, then something strange happened.

As Draco watched Potter begun to change, the green and black of Potters eyes begun to bleed out until they were left a luminescent pearl colour. Potters skin changed to a golden brown blemish free tone and his facial features became almost too beautiful; perfectly symmetrical. The hair stayed jet black but when the young man before him gave a wicked kind of smile, Draco saw that his teeth were pointed and that the upper and lower canines were elongated; like those of a carnivore.


	6. Chapter Five: Dreams

**Disclaimer: **See Prologue

**Chapter Five: Dreams**

_Harry has some very bizarre dreams and unknown to him is the fact that they are the beginning of something darker…_

"Are you back, Potter?" asked a familiar voice without emotion.

"Wha?" said Harry completely dazed.

With eyes that felt heavy and had a blurriness to them as though he'd been fast asleep only moments before; Harry looked around in confusion. Harry was beyond shocked to find himself still in the same corridor as before and when he looked to his right he found Malfoy crouched there. With his newly enhanced night vision Harry registered that it was pitch black in the corridor and that Malfoy was watching him without his usual derision or hatred and there was no sign of his trademark smirk.

"What did you say?" asked Harry and as he spoke he felt a strange throbbing sting from his tongue.

"I said… are you awake, Potter?" replied Malfoy and Harry noticed that he was speaking carefully; as though he too had a sore tongue.

"Really? It sounded like you asked if I was back" said Harry with a grimace as the pain from his tongue intensified.

"Why would I say something like that? Careful!" said Malfoy alarmed and he added the last part at the same time as he reached out to support Harry who had nearly fallen down as he tried to stand.

"What's wrong with you today?" asked Harry suspiciously as he cautiously allowed Malfoy to support him.

"What do you mean?" said Malfoy and once again he was without emotion.

"Why aren't you teasing me or trying to hex me… and why is my tongue so sore!?" replied Harry and he added the last part almost angrily as more pain stabbed through his tongue.

Malfoy gave an almost annoyed sigh as he softly said "I've decided that I don't want to fight anymore but don't get me wrong for I still hate you it just means that I will no longer go out of my way to pick a fight! As to your tongue… I guess you must have bitten it when you fainted"

"I didn't faint!" said Harry fiercely but when Malfoy just stared at him he added, almost uneasily, "Did I?"

"How else would you explain why it's so dark in here?"

"Pardon?"

"It's night time Potter… Merlin; are all Gryffindor's as thick as you?"

"Wha… it is… how long was I out for?" asked Harry anxiously and he tried to take a couple of steps but his legs felt odd, as though they didn't belong to him, thus causing him to stumble and grab a tighter hold of Malfoy.

"I'd say a few hours at best" replied Malfoy with a shrug.

"A few hours… why didn't you get help? In fact; why did you stay here at all?" demanded Harry, now thoroughly beyond confused.

"The answer to both of those questions is that I have no idea where we are".

"If you don't know where we are then how did you get here?"

"I was following you, Potter".

"Wha… why were you following me?" asked Harry suspiciously.

"Because… when I saw you leave the Library I remembered a strange dream I'd had a couple of nights ago about being in the forest with you; then for some reason I wondered 'what if it wasn't a dream?' So I decided to follow you so that I could wait until we were alone so that I could ask you about it but when I finally decided to talk to you, you fainted" replied Malfoy non-plussed.

"It wasn't a dream! I remember now it was you in the forest with me; tell me… did you end up with any strange markings or such?" asked Harry excitedly.

"Not that I know of, why… did you?" replied Malfoy; amused by Harry's exuberance.

"Yes I did, I have this weird tattoo/brand like marking covering my back; do you remember anything that happened in there?"

"Nope… not a thing… could I see your marking?"

"Um… sure?" said Harry completely taken aback by Malfoy's request.

So Harry took his weight back onto his own legs and was relieved when they felt more like his own even if they did feel a little weird still. Then, feeling slightly self-conscious, he turned his back to Malfoy and raised his top; thus exposing his back and the strange marking thereon.

"Fascinating!" muttered Malfoy and he ran his hand lightly over the marking; causing a peculiar shiver to pass through Harry's body.

"So… you really don't have anything like this?" asked Harry looking over his shoulder at Malfoy.

"Nothing at all" replied Malfoy looking Harry in the eye and there was something in those grey eyes that Harry did not recognize.

"Why was I singled out to be marked like this!?" said Harry exasperated; not really expecting an answer.

"The only one who knows the answer to that question is whoever did it and it is highly unlikely that you'll be able to figure out who that was unless you remember what happened or if they showed up. Now let's try and find the way out of here and back to or dorms before people really start to worry" said Malfoy and he turned around and headed off in the opposite direction to the one they had been facing.

"Good idea" agreed Harry and he followed Malfoy; albeit slowly for his body still felt a little… odd.

So the two young men walked the castle in silence; each lost in their own private thoughts. As he walked Harry found himself contemplating Malfoy's strange behaviour and wondering why he didn't seem to be able to sense Ash's presence anymore. They'd been walking the dusty corridors for ages; neither willing to admit that they were lost when Harry's legs suddenly collapsed from under him.

Harry couldn't believe the speed at which Malfoy moved; he'd barely started to fall when Malfoy was suddenly there, holding him up. Then, as though Malfoy didn't want him to be hurt in anyway, Malfoy helped Harry over to a wall where he carefully helped Harry sit down so that he could use the wall for support.

Once he'd safely helped Harry down Malfoy stood back up, dusted himself off a bit and then started to study their surroundings in silence. Though it was still pitch black in the corridor and Harry had no idea how Malfoy could see anything. He, himself could see fine but that was because of the changes Ash had caused, Malfoy on the other hand shouldn't be able to see anything. Though he had been leading them without bumping into any walls; bizarre.

"Uh… thanks" said Harry suddenly, uncertain.

Malfoy silently looked at him for a moment, nodded in understanding and then went back to studying their surroundings.

"So where do you think we are?" asked Harry drawing his legs up close to his body and resting his arms on them.

"Lost" sighed Malfoy wearily and he sat down beside Harry in almost the exact same position, except that he had one leg stretched out in front of him.

"So… what do you think we should do now?"

"Sleep; then, maybe, by morning there'll be enough light for us to see anything we may have missed and hopefully by then your legs will be strong enough to carry you".

"You're probably right; night then Malfoy and pleasant dreams" said Harry and he rested his head on his arms; knowing that it wouldn't be too long before he fell asleep. Because; thanks to his years sleeping in the cupboard under the stairs, he could pretty much sleep anywhere, anyhow.

"Night then Potter and pleasant dreams" replied Malfoy softly and pretty soon they were both fast asleep, each lost in their own dreams…

… It was a dream; Harry knew that as soon as it started, at least as it went on he found himself fervently hoping that it was a dream. He was in a barely lit corridor with Malfoy, though for some reason he got the feeling that it was Ash and not him who was there. Instead he was the one who was riding around in Ash's head, sensing everything from Ash's point of view. Which was a unique feeling for Ash's senses were incredibly sharp and there was an odd darkness to his presence.

"Ash?" said Mal… no… something objected, Draco not Malfoy.

"_Draco Malfoy_" said Ash in his sinuously hypnotic voice.

"You know me?" asked Draco startled.

"_Of course, I have Harry Potter's memories and he has known you for six years and you have no idea how long I have been waiting for you_"

"How long you've been waiting for me; what's that supposed to mean?" asked Draco perplexed.

"_I have known since the moment that I sent Damian away that you would be born and that you would be important_" replied Ash moving closer to Draco ever so slightly.

"But how?" asked Draco bewildered.

"_Because of what was put into me when I was created_".

"That's right, I remember now! You were created differently to the others which means that you can do things that they can't".

"_That I can, now enough idle banter, what is your decision? But first perhaps you should know that if you agree then you are going to have to make sure that Harry Potter stays safe. Though of course I will do what I can to help and you should know that taking over like this has drained quite a bit of my energy. So when we are done here, one way or another, I will have to stay dormant for awhile to recover my strength_" said Ash passively.

"What will Potter think of all of this?" asked Draco curiously and forestalling the time when he'd have to give Ash his answer.

"_Who knows? Perhaps he will only see it as a dream and just so you know, yes I will keep your family safe; we look after our own_".

"How do you know…?" started Draco.

"_Because I am connected to you all_" replied Ash softly and then with a purr he added "_Draco, what is your decision?_"

"You want my answer now?" asked Draco nervously.

"_Yes… do you accept what you are and do you agree to what must be done?_" asked the young man with the pearl coloured eyes watching Draco intently.

"I… do… I give myself to you, heart, mind, body and soul for all eternity and to me you may do as you wish" replied Draco, almost ritualistically.

With this said Draco removed a small crystal looking blade from his pocket and used it to make a cut in his tongue; wincing slightly at the sting. Then he handed the blade over to Ash who did the same thing though he did not wince at the pain he should have felt. Then Draco's nervousness grew as Ash stepped closer, his dark presence dominating all until everything else faded away.

With a move that looked and felt vicious Ash grabbed the front of Draco's shirt and slammed him backwards into the wall and then slammed their lips together in a fierce kiss. Ash would have liked to allow Draco time to get used to everything but he could already feel himself waning. So he forced his tongue into Draco's mouth and roughly caressed Draco's tongue with his own; mixing their blood. Ash couldn't help but to give a vicious smile of satisfaction when Draco gave a gasp of pain that had a hint of pleasure buried in it. As they swallowed each other's blood; cementing the tie that now bound them together, Ash felt his hold slip…

… Then suddenly and without changing in any noticeable way the dream became something else but, as they do, it still made complete sense…

… Harry was suddenly in a beautiful and quiet part of the Scottish moors without a sign of civilization anywhere close by. Except that is for the two people sitting close by on the slopes. One was a man that had a strange blurriness to him so that nothing could clearly be said about him except that he was tall. The other was a young boy of around ten years of age and with jet black hair. Then as Harry got a better look at the boy he felt a shock so powerful ripple through his system that he nearly woke up. The boy was Ash, there was no denying it for no other had those luminescent pearl eyes, carnivorous teeth and facial features that were in a word; perfect.

"_My Lord?_" said Ash and even though he was young, already his voice was sinuously hypnotic.

"Yes Ash?" answered the man and while there was undeniable power in his voice there was something sinister and sly about it.

"_You made me and the others, right?_"

"Correct".

"_Then_ _why do I look different and why do you spend more time with me then you do them?_" questioned a bewildered Ash.

"That is because you are special and when I made you I put different things into you then what I put into the others, though you lot do have some things in common" replied the man reaching over and giving Ash's shoulder a friendly squeeze.

"_What did you put into me?_" asked Ash eagerly and Harry was amazed at how different this little boy was to the Ash he knew.

"I took certain attributes from certain animals to make all of you and you my boy have some very special bits in you that I did not put into the others".

"_Would you tell me some of what it is you put into me?_" Ash asked almost hesitantly and Harry realized that Ash must greatly respect this man's opinion, whoever he was.

"I will tell you a few but only a few" said the man amiably.

"_Thank you_" said Ash with a happy smile.

"You and the others have the ability to cause insanity through song just like the Fwooper; you, yourself have the incredible stealth of a Nundu. You also have the incredible strength of a Re'em and the abilities of magical healing, divination, archery and astronomy of the Centaurs. You also have quite a few attributes of the Dra…"…

… "WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON HERE?" yelled a voice suddenly.

The loud and sudden voice broke into Harry and Draco's separate dreams, causing them to stir and slowly begin to wake. Then when Harry and Draco realized that they were leaning against each other, Draco with his head on Harry's shoulder and Harry with his head on Draco's head, they quickly became fully awake; stood up and moved away from each other.

"Well!?" demanded Ron, for it was he who had yelled "Are you going to tell us what the fuck you two are doing down here sleeping with each other?"

"Please Weasley, do you have to make it sound so sordid?" said Malfoy with derision.

Ron blushed a bright red as he realized exactly how he had phrased his question and his blush got darker as it changed from embarrassment to anger as he realized that Malfoy, of all people, was correcting him. Then the look on his face turned hateful and you could tell that he was going to open his big mouth and say something really stupid. So Harry decided to diffuse the situation by, hopefully, changing the subject.

"How did you two find us anyway?" asked Harry, more of Hermione who was standing slightly behind Ron and was watching him and Malfoy dubiously.

At Harry's words a pained expression crossed Malfoy's features and he said "Potter, you almost make it sound as sordid as Weasley did".

"Sorry" said Harry absent mindedly; causing the three in the corridor with him to look at him in complete and utter shock that he'd said such a thing to Malfoy.

Not noticing what he'd said or how the others were looking at him, Harry got impatient when no-one answered him so in a slightly annoyed tone he added "Well, are you going to tell me how you knew where we were?"

"Um… right?" said Hermione biting her lip in consternation and then she softly added "We used the map".

"Of course! Why didn't I think of that?" said Harry and looking at his friends he added "Look I'll tell you why Malfoy and I are down here and everything okay, just don't go getting any funny ideas, right?"

"All right" said Hermione neutrally while Ron nodded his head in agreement and kept his suspicious eyes on Malfoy; who was studiously ignoring him.

So Harry proceeded to tell his two best friends everything that had happened and what he had found out. Including the fact that Malfoy had also been called into the forest and had suddenly lost the desire to pick fights with them; though he claimed to still hate them. But once again Harry felt the strange urge to keep Ash a secret and once again he felt the need to acquiesce to it; thus Ash was kept secret and safe and Harry sealed his own fate.


	7. Chapter Six: Free

**Disclaimer: **See Prologue

**Author's Note:** Hey all, sorry about not updating in a little while but my computer crashed and I was just too lazy to do anything. So here's the next chapter, hope you like it and blah blah blah, ciao!

**Chapter Six: Free**

_The Forgotten get what they have always longed for… but to what lengths will they be willing to go to…?..._

It was several weeks since Harry had last sensed Ash's presence in his mind and while he was thankful for Ash's absence he was also worried by it. In fact Ash's absence was quite terrifying for in the short time that he'd been around Harry had already discovered that Ash was not someone you wanted to mess with. Another oddity that he'd noticed in his life was that Malfoy now seemed to be following him everywhere. When Harry had first pointed this out to Ron and Hermione they had looked at him sceptically and said that maybe he was being a little paranoid. But as the days had passed they too had noticed that Malfoy seemed to be everywhere they were. Yet even then they'd suggested that maybe it was just a coincidence that Malfoy was always around. So Harry had said 'Fine! You two can stay here and I'll pretend to go to the bathroom and then we can all see what Malfoy does!'

Ron and Hermione had amiably agreed and Harry got up and left the Library, which is where the three of them had gone to work on a potion's essay. Sure enough, not long after Harry left, Malfoy got up from his nearby table and followed Harry out of the Library. Thus proving that Harry was right about Malfoy's strange behaviour and not paranoid in the least. Now that Ron and Hermione had finally admitted that Malfoy was following Harry around they both decided to give him some advice on what he should do about it. Hermione suggested that they just ignore Malfoy and that maybe he'd get bored of following them when they showed no reaction to his presence. Ron, on the other hand, suggested that they should lead Malfoy to an excluded part of the castle and give him a good thumping thus discouraging him from following them. To his great surprise Harry couldn't decide which one he'd rather do so Hermione won; as girlfriends usually do.

So for a few days Harry and Ron did as Hermione wished and tried to ignore the fact that everywhere they went Malfoy went too but it wasn't easy. Until late on a Saturday afternoon when they were once more in the Library doing work; Harry snapped. Without a word he threw down his quill and stormed over to the table where Malfoy was currently sitting.

"What do you think you are doing?" hissed Harry, slamming his hands down onto the table.

"Some assignments Potter, why… what does it look like?" said Malfoy and he raised an eyebrow in inquiry.

"Why are you following me?" demanded Harry angrily.

"Now why would I be following you?" replied Malfoy calmly.

"How the fuck should I know? All I know is that since that night in the corridor you've been acting… _meet me in the Prefect's bathroom; midnight_… really odd and… I… did I just say something strange?" asked Harry perplexed.

"You mean besides accusing me of stalking you?" said Draco; with no sign of how startled he was at Ash's unexpected message.

"Um… rrriight… I think I've got to go?" said Harry pinching his nose and without another word he turned and left the Library.

"Harry!" exclaimed Hermione and after giving a mumbled 'sorry' to Madam Pince who shushed her; she and Ron collected their things and hurried out after Harry.

"Harry what's wrong?" asked Hermione worriedly; as soon as she and Ron had caught up with Harry in an abandoned classroom.

"Harry mate, are you okay?" asked Ron nervously and he and Hermione exchanged worried glances when Harry remained sitting hunched up; his head in his hands.

"Harry!?" said Ron and Hermione at the same time and there was real fear in their tones.

At the fear in his friend's voices, Harry finally looked up and Ron and Hermione were startled by the shattered look in Harry's emerald green, all too empty, eyes.

"I…"

*_It is nothing_*

"…It is nothing…"

*_I am fine; do not worry about me_*

"… I am fine; do not worry about me…"

*_I am sorry if I scared you_*

"… I am sorry if I scared you…"

Ron and Hermione once again exchanged worried glances and then Hermione took a tentative step closer and asked "Are you sure you're okay? You seem a little… strange".

*_Yeah… I am fine but perhaps I should go and have a lie down_*

"…Yeah… I am fine but perhaps I should go and have a lie down…" said Harry with a strained smile that somehow seemed false.

"Ah… if you're sure?" said Ron uncertainly.

*_I am_*

"…I am" said Harry blankly and without another word he left, though there was something odd about his movements; almost as though he was a puppet on invisible strings.

It was later, much later, and Draco was slowly making his way up to the Prefect's bathroom for his meeting with Ash. Draco was moving slowly for he was contemplating his day and while Ash's message had been unexpected the meeting place was just plain bizarre. 'Why did Ash pick the bathroom of all places? Why not an empty classroom or something like it? Could it be that Ash was planning something naughty?' with this thought Draco stopped in his tracks and had to swallow forcefully a few times before he could gather his composure. Hopefully Ash was not planning anything that involved the two of them being naked; Draco seriously doubted that he was ready for such a thing.

But, then again, if that was what Ash wanted then there was no-way that he could stop him. After all he'd given all that he was to Ash and had given Ash permission to do as he wished. It was always possible that Ash had chosen the bathroom for no other reason than that it was deserted at this time of night. Trying to convince himself that that was the only reason Ash why had chosen it; Draco started to walk once more to the bathroom. Mind you, even though he'd started walking again, Draco was still lost in his own head; arguing with himself on what might and what might not happen. In fact he was so lost in thought that he was completely shocked when he suddenly stopped walking and found himself outside the bathroom door.

'Okay' thought Draco 'this is it, one way or another, I'm going to find out what Ash wants and, one way or another, I'm going to have to accept whatever it is that Ash wants!' So with a deep breath, to steady his nerves, Draco said the password and entered the Prefect's bathroom. This, as he found out, might have been a bad move. For Ash was standing by the swimming pool sized tub without a stitch of clothing on.

"Argle?" said Draco shocked.

"_Hmmm?_" said Ash vacantly and he turned and looked at Draco.

"Argle!" repeated Draco, though this time it was slightly more strained.

"_So… you showed up earlier than I expected; it seems that you have more courage in you then most would believe_"

"Argle?"

"Does _the sight of another male naked always make you this inarticulate?_" questioned Ash with his head tilted slightly to one side and he's eyes narrowing.

"…?"

"_It_ _seems that you have gotten the wrong idea about why I asked you here,_" said Ash with a wry smile, "_you see; the reason that I have filled up the bath is because I have something important that I need to do, you are here because there is something I need to ask of you_".

"Arg… oh?" said Draco, some of the colour returning to his features, though he refused to even glance at Ash and there was a faint hint of pink in his cheeks.

"_So if you are willing to be a bit more articulate; I will explain why you are here,_" said Ash but when Draco just stood there he walked slightly closer and added, "_Draco?_"

Ash stood quietly for a moment watching Draco; who he noticed seemed to be watching him in turn from the corner of his eyes.

"_Draco… tell me what you are thinking_" said Ash with a trace of power entering his tone.

"Darkness you're hot!" said Draco automatically, without thinking then he turned pink as his ears registered what his mouth had said.

"_Yes… I know_" stated Ash; a strange warmth entering his tone and causing Draco's blush to deepen.

"So… ah…um… what did you want to ask me?" asked Draco; suddenly deciding that it'd be best if he changed the conversation to a safer topic.

"_I have decided that it is time to release my people and for this I need your help_" replied Ash; content to let the subject change.

"And what am I meant to do?" asked Draco giving Ash a relieved smile.

"_I need your help in picking five sacrifices of around your own age; one must be a male from Gryffindor, one a female from Ravenclaw, one a female from Hufflepuff and two males from Slytherin_".

"Why two Slytherin's?"

"_Because two are needed to represent my dead Lord,_" replied Ash solemnly, "_are you willing to do this?_"

"I'll try" said Draco softly.

"_That is all I need of you at the moment but one way or another I need your answer by the end of the week_".

"Okay" said Draco as Ash turned towards the bath and with an odd feeling in his chest Draco left the bathroom and headed for bed; where he had a very difficult decision ahead of him.

A week slowly passed for Harry and his friends and in that week the three of them noticed that Malfoy was missing days in his stalking schedule and was hardly seen, even in classes. They also noticed that on the days when Malfoy was around that Malfoy seemed to be withdrawn; as though he was too busy thinking about something else. Harry and company found the fact that Malfoy seemed to have lost interest in them both relieving and slightly unnerving. The only reason that they found it unnerving though was because in the short time Malfoy had been following Harry they'd gotten used to his presence. Then one day at the end of the week as they were leaving Potions Harry, Ron and Hermione got the shock of their lives. Malfoy came right up to Harry and stood right in front of him, looking Harry in the eyes; thus causing Harry to stop in his tracks or he'd walk right into Malfoy.

"Move it ferret!" snarled Ron viciously.

But Malfoy just stood there staring at Harry without a sound until Harry finally burst out with "What?"

"Okay Potter, I've made my decision" said Malfoy; causing Ron and Hermione to glance at each other in confusion.

"What are you… _good; same time, same place_… on… about?" said Harry, trying to frown at his own lips as he once more heard them say something of their own accord.

"Okay" said Malfoy nodding his head and then he turned and walked away.

"What was all that about?" asked Hermione giving Harry a strange look.

"I have no idea" said Harry bewildered.

"What do you mean you have no idea? You've just agreed to meet Malfoy somewhere and from the sounds of it you've met there before!" said Ron angrily.

"What are you getting angry at me for? I've already said that I have no idea what's going on; I mean, come on, why would I meet Malfoy somewhere? We're enemies, remember, or have you lost it?" said Harry, his anger rising quickly at Ron's unspoken accusation.

"Don't you dare talk to me like that! You're the one who just agreed to meet the ferret somewhere so don't try and make me the bad one!" snarled Ron, waving an accusatory finger at Harry.

"I did not agree to meet Malfoy somewhere! I have no idea why I… said…," started Harry furiously but then a thought occurred to him and almost to himself he softly added "Ash!"

"What? Who's Ash?" said Hermione, jumping into the conversation in an attempt to diffuse the hostility between her friends.

"Yeah, who's Ash?" said Ron nastily.

"Hmm? Oh… right, Ash is…" started Harry but he was rudely interrupted.

*_If you dare tell them about me now Harry Potter then I will make you seriously regret that decision for the rest of your life!_*

*What? Why?*

*_There is something I need to get done and I will not tolerate people finding out about me beforehand_*

*But what can you do if I decide to tell them now?*

*_I can make you kill them_*

*You wouldn't!* said Harry paling at the thought and causing his friends to ask him worriedly what was wrong but he silenced them with a look.

*_Try me_* replied Ash and there was something in his tone that made Harry believe him.

*Okay fine… when can I tell them?*

*_In a week_*

*Right! A week it is then!*

"Harry are you okay?" came Hermione's worried voice, breaking into Harry's thoughts.

"Hmm? What? Yeah… sure" replied Harry with a weak smile.

"What just happened?"

"Oh it's…"

*_Nothing_*

"… Nothing, I was just thinking, that's all, now if you two don't mind I think I need to be alone for a little while" said Harry, seeming dazed as he gave another weak smile and walked off in the opposite direction to the one that Malfoy had taken.

*It's you isn't it?* said Harry accusingly as he walked through the castles corridors.

*_What is me?_* questioned Ash amused.

*You're the one who is sneaking words out through my lips!*

*_And if I am?_*

*Then stop it! I have enough problems already without you messing in my life*

*_No_*

*What?*

*_No, I do not think that I will stop messing with your life; there are things I need to do, remember? And unfortunately for you the only way I can get them done is through you_*

*You can stop it right now or I'll dob you in to Dumbledore!*

*_You do that and I will destroy all that you hold dear; besides if you have a little patience, I will explain everything to you in a week's time, remember?_*

*Do you promise?*

*_Yes Harry Potter I will, I promise, now sleep for there is something I must get done and I must have control of the body for it_*

*What do you mean?...* begun Harry startled, but his voice faded as Ash took control of their shared body.

*_That is much better_* thought Ash and a cruel smile touched his lips as he turned around and headed for the outside world.

It was time for him to return to the Forest and to speak with the other Forgotten. Who would need to get some things done before tonight when they would finally be freed. For there was no doubt in Ash's mind of what Draco's decision would be, for he knew his people well.

It was midnight and Ash was patiently sitting by the bath in the Prefect's bathroom; watching the almost hypnotic motion of the water moving softly back and forth, up and down. In fact, Ash was so still and so in tune with his surroundings that Draco completely failed to notice him when he walked in the door. Draco, not seeing Ash anywhere, gave a soft sigh and sat down by the water which was moving hypnotically.

"_Draco_" purred Ash softly, startling Draco so fiercely that he nearly fell into the bath.

"Ash!" said Draco incredulously, amazed that he'd failed to notice that Ash was sitting right beside him.

"_Good, you are here, now perhaps you will be able to share with me your answer?_"

"Um… right, of course" said Draco shifting uncomfortably.

"_You are not afraid, are you?_" asked Ash in amazement.

"Not really, it's just that I'm not too comfortable with what I have decided" replied Draco with a wan smile.

"_What have you decided?_" asked Ash gently.

"I have decided to help you and I have chosen the sacrifices" answered Draco with resolve.

"_Thank you_" said Ash softly and in those two words Draco sensed how much all of this meant to Ash.

"You're welcome," said Draco with a gentle smile which elicited one from Ash "I have chosen Dean Thomas for Gryffindor and Hannah Abbot for Hufflepuff. Padma Patil for Ravenclaw and Gregory Goyle and Vincent Crabbe for Slytherin"

Without a word and without warning Ash grabbed Draco's head between his hands and planted an intense, yet gentle kiss upon his lips. This kiss, which was so different from their last one, made Draco's head spin and just when he was sure that he was going to pass out from the power of it, Ash drew back.

"_Thank you_" repeated Ash in a deep husky voice as he stared into Draco's eyes for a moment then, suddenly, he was gone and Draco felt a strange coldness enter his being at Ash's absence.

An unfathomable darkness travelled through the castle and from the heart of it came an alluring, strange melody which sunk all within the castle into a deep dreamless slumber. Except, that is, for the boy still within the Prefect's bathroom who sat and listened with wonder to the strange melody. Suddenly the soft and wordless melody changed and within the melody came words that told a tale of times past, present and those yet to come. With the changing of the song five students were drawn to leave their beds and head out to the Forest and they were each unknowing of the others in their trance like states.

Slowly and methodically the five students left the castle and walked into the Forest where they stopped just on the cusp of the unstable dimensional barrier. Then, while one of the five students stayed put, the other four moved along the cusp line of the barrier until the five of them were standing evenly spread around it.

The strange melody suddenly changed once more and this time there was a dark and blood thirsty quality to it as it told a tale of deep anger and a need for vengeance. With the changing of the melody the five students woke from their trances, only to discover that they each had a wickedly serrated dagger pointing at their necks. Then, to their horror, the five discovered that one; the daggers were floating in mid-air with no-one holding them and two; they could not move a muscle or make a sound.

As the five students desperately tried to move; to escape, the darkly disturbing melody reached a fever pitch and with the death of the melody came the death of the students as the daggers slashed the throats in front of them. Causing the five different bloods to spray onto the barrier which began to give off a strange glow and hum as it slowly disintegrated; returning the lost reality within its bounds to where it truly belonged.

With a feral smile Ash watched in contempt as the traitor's created prison disappeared and he continued to watch as out of the Forest came the other Forgotten. Whose smiles of pure pleasure graced each of their features as they breathed the fresh air outside their prison for the first time in hundreds of years.


	8. Chapter Seven: The Forgotten

**Disclaimer:** See Prologue

**Chapter Seven: The Forgotten**

_The Forgotten have returned to the world and with their return comes the beginning of the end..._

The sun was just rising at Hogwarts, school of witchcraft and wizardry, where the students were unknowing of the dangerous creatures that had just been freed from The Forest. Harry awoke that morning, in late March, to a world completely covered in a thick impenetrable fog. The fog was so thick that those who had braved stepping out into it had become completely lost and had to use magic to find their way back inside. As a result the teachers banned everyone from going outside.

Harry wasn't too bothered by the fact that he couldn't step outside, after all, it meant that he could spend some time with Ginny. Which is exactly what he did, Harry and Ginny spent the day walking around the castle talking about inconsequential things and trying to ignore the fact that Malfoy was once more stalking Harry.

It was while they were in an empty part of the castle that Harry once more heard Ash's hypnotic voice within his mind.

*_I thought I told you to dump the girl Harry Potter and because you did not listen to me I am going to have to teach you a lesson_*

*Pardon?* asked Harry, stopping in his tracks and causing Ginny to turn to him with a questioning look.

*_Now... repeat after me_*

"Harry, are you okay?" asked Ginny with concern.

*_Of course, it is just that I have realized something_*

"Of course, it is just that I have realized something..."

"Really, what's that?"

*_That I have no idea why I am even dating you, for there is nothing about you that I find even the slightest bit attractive_*

"... That I have no idea why I am even dating you, for there is nothing about you that I find even the slightest bit attractive..."

"What do you mean?" asked Ginny in complete shock.

*_I hate you and have no idea why I asked you out in the first place, now leave so that I do not have to see your ugly mug any longer_*

"... I hate you and have no idea why I asked you out in the first place, now leave so that I do not have to see your ugly mug any longer..."

"Y-you don't m-mean that!" stuttered Ginny with tears pouring down her face.

*_Yes I do, so get lost and make sure that I never have to be burdened with the sight of you ever again!_*

"... Yes I do, so get lost and make sure that I never have to be burdened with the sight of you ever again!"

With these words ringing in her ears Ginny fled sobbing from Harry's presence and after she'd left Malfoy moved closer and cautiously asked "Potter?"

*_Ah, Draco, what say you to us going and having a nice little romp in the fog?_*

"Ah, Draco, what say you to us going and having a nice little romp in the fog?..."

"Ash?" questioned Draco startled.

*_The one and only, so let us go outside where we can continue to talk without the danger of being disturbed_*

"... The one and only, so let us go outside where we can continue to talk without the danger of being disturbed".

"Okay" agreed Draco, amazed by the fact that Potter still looked like Potter but that he seemed to be being controlled by Ash.

So the two young men traversed the castle in silence, each studiously ignoring the stares and whispered conversations that followed in their wake. By the time they'd reached the Entrance way they'd gathered quite a crowd and still ignoring this fact the two young men walked straight outside and into the dense fog.

Draco was a little apprehensive about going out into the fog but he got quite a surprise. It seemed that, to him at least, when he stepped into the fog then the fog seemed to disappear, thus he could see perfectly.

"I can see" said Draco wonderingly.

"_That is because this fog does not affect those of our blood_" said Ash and it was Ash who turned around and faced Draco because out here there was no longer any need to hide.

"So why are we out here?"

"_I thought that perhaps you would like to join the others and I in a conversation_."

"That'd be nice, thanks" said Draco with a pleased little smile.

"_I am glad you think so_" said Ash with a friendly one.

So Draco followed Ash towards The Forest and he wasn't really surprised when, as they drew nearer, Adara and the others stepped out of The Forest to meet them.

"Welcome Draco" said Adara with a serene smile.

"Adara, you look... different" said Draco puzzled, but he was unsure as to what it was that was so different about his penultimate grandmother.

"We are no longer trapped within the unstable dimension" said Adara, by way of explanation, and Draco noticed that the others all seemed pleased by something.

"_What Adara means is that she and Dirk are no longer trapped in time_" said Ash.

"You know, that really doesn't explain anything either, right?" said Draco wryly.

"_Adara is with child_" explained Ash with a pleased smile.

"Congratulations!" exclaimed Draco happily.

"Thankyou" said Adara pleasantly.

"There is one thing that I am confused about though" said Draco.

"_Only one?_" asked Ash, raising one eyebrow in inquiry.

"Yes, only one, how do you know Adara's with child?"

"_Because we develop quickly_" replied Ash unhelpfully.

"Meaning?" asked Draco, still confused.

"_That we grow quicker than most other species_."

"Okay then, but if that's true then why didn't I grow quicker than everyone else?"

"_Because your blood did not awaken until you met us and agreed to help_."

"That makes a lot more sense, thanks" said Draco with a happy smile.

"_You are welcome_" replied Ash and there was something in his eyes and tone that made Draco shift uncomfortably from foot to foot and caused the other Forgotten to back off slightly.

"Why have you come to visit us Leader?" asked Adara, hoping to diffuse the situation for Draco's sake.

"_There are things that I wish for you all to do_" said Ash without taking his eyes off of Draco, who was starting to get a faint pink tinge to his cheeks.

"What is your wish?" asked Dirk calmly.

"_It is time to remind the world that we are beings to fear,_" replied Ash with a wicked smile, "_But first Draco and I must talk in private_" added Ash and still he wouldn't remove his gaze from Draco.

"As you wish" mumbled the Forgotten as one and they silently departed, leaving Ash and Draco alone.

"Um... what do you want to talk about?" asked Draco, worry in his tone as he thought about all the things that Ash could want to talk about.

"_What do you wish to ask?_"

"Um... were you controlling Potter before?"

"_Yes_."

"So why did you make him say those things to the Weasel girl?"

"_I warned him a while back that he had to dump her but he would not listen so I took it into my own hands and forced him too, just like I warned him I would_."

"But why?"

"_Because she is not the one for this body_."

What do you mean?"

"_This is my body now and the one meant for me is you_."

"Ah...?" said Draco, his flush returning at Ash's words.

"_Now, there is something you must know, pretty soon the distinction between Harry Potter and I is going to blur. When that happens he and I are going to have trouble knowing who we are and that is when you are going to have to come to us and offer us your blood. For I am going to have to consume some of it to be able to re-establish the differences between us, do you understand?_" questioned Ash passively.

"Yes, I understand" replied Draco solemnly and with this reply Draco realized that he would do anything for Ash.

"_I thank you Draco,_" said Ash with understanding, "_Now you must return to the castle and I must talk with the other Forgotten. I will see you later_."

"Ok, see you around" said Draco with a friendly grin, and then he turned around and walked back to the castle where he would wait until Ash needed him.


	9. Chapter Eight: Confusion

**Disclaimer: **See Prologue

**Chapter Eight: Confusion**

_Is Harry Ash or is Ash Harry? Or perhaps Harry's having dreams about Ash or Ash is having dreams about Harry...?..._

Harry was so confused, He'd come out of what felt like a deep sleep only to find himself in The Entrance way, at night, when he could've sworn that it was day only moments before. He had no memory between his last memory, which was of talking with Ginny, and now. Where had his time gone and why couldn't he remember anything? Though, truth be told, he wasn't sure if he wanted to find his lost memories, for he had a bad feeling about them. There was only one thing that he could do; he'd have to go to the dormitories and find out the hard way what it was that he'd lost.

So Harry headed for the dormitories and with every step he took his unease grew and still he could not find a reason for why it was there. With his unreasonable fear came the strong certainty that Ash had something to do with all of this. He reached the portrait of the fat lady long before he was ready too and so he just stood there for a moment, not sure if he had the courage to walk in. Then Harry decided that he might as well face the music, so he took a deep breath, said the password and entered the dormitories.

"We need to talk, Harry" said Ron angrily, as soon as he entered the common room.

"About what?" asked Harry curiously, his feelings of unease increasing ten-fold as he spotted Ron and Hermione sitting together on one of the couches.

"About what you said to Ginny today!" replied Ron, his tone darkening.

"What did I say?"

"Don't pretend like you don't remember" snarled Ron.

"Okay fine: not that it's any of your business, I do remember, and what's it to you?"

"Not my business? Ginny's my little sis and you made her cry" said Ron viciously, jerking to his feet, his hands clenched into fists.

"Settle down Ron" said Hermione soothingly, and she grabbed a hold of Ron's arm and pulled him back down onto the seat with her.

"That's right, it's not! So what if I dumped Ginny? She's not the one for this body and this body's mine now!"

"What do you mean?" asked Hermione confused and the anger just seemed to drain out of Ron at Harry's odd words.

"This is my body and it's now too late to change that fact!" replied Harry and without another word he stormed off to the dormitories and went to bed.

The next day Harry walked around feeling as though he was in a fog. The strange thing, though, was that he didn't seem to be having any more blackouts. Instead he seemed to be having odd thoughts and feelings, almost like someone else's life was melting into him. Which was ridiculous, he already knew everything about Harry Potter's life. No, wait, it must be Ash's life bleeding into his but he was Ash, wasn't he? Or was he Harry? He was so confused and disorientated, that is why he wasn't paying any attention in potions class that day.

"Now can anyone tell me why we don't use love potions too often," asked Slughorn of the class and then he added, "How about you Mr Potter?"

The whole class turned to look at Harry who was staring as though mesmerized at the wall and didn't look as though he'd heard the teacher ask him a question.

"Mr Potter?" questioned Slughorn uncertainly.

Still Harry continued to stare at the wall.

"Harry?" said Hermione, trying to get his attention, and she wasn't the only one.

The other Gryffindor's were saying his name as well, trying to get his attention, while most of the Slytherin's broke into laughter. Draco, watching it all passively, suddenly realized what the problem must be but, to make sure he was right, he said loudly and clearly over the noise, "Ash?"

Which caused everyone to look at him but he didn't care, for Potter's head had swung in his direction too and there, clear in the feature's that were Potter's was the coldness and cruelty of Ash.

"Yes?" asked Ash but it was with Potter's voice!

"What?" said Ron at the same time as Hermione said, "Ash?"

"Ah? Now I see I am not me" said Ash and it was still with Potter's voice.

"What are you talking about Harry?" asked Hermione cautiously.

"Yeah and who's Ash and why are you pretending to be him?" demanded Ron angrily.

"But... if I am not me, then... who am I?" said Ash/Harry, totally ignoring everyone around him, "Perhaps I am crazy? Though if that is true then am I Harry Potter making up Ash or am I Ash making up Harry Potter?"

"Harry?" asked Hermione fearfully and she wasn't the only one who was fearful of what was happening.

Still Ash or Harry, whoever he was, continued to ignore her and instead he put his head into his hands and in distress asked of the world in general, "Father, what am I meant to do? Why did you let them kill me? Why did you have to die? Could you not have taken mother and I and fled?"

"Are you okay Potter?" asked Slughorn moving towards Ash/Harry with worry.

"I am not Potter!" snarled Ash/Harry with venom, then he seemed to withdraw back into himself and he collapsed onto his knees, arms clasped around his own waist.

"Then who are you? Ash?" asked Ron with derision.

"I don't remember" whispered Harry/Ash with despair.

"Are you okay Harry? Is it the marking that is causing all of this?" questioned Hermione with concern.

"Yes" replied Harry/Ash softly.

"But... how?" asked Ron confused and Slughorn and the rest of the class continued to watch on in silence, clueless as to what was going on.

"Because with the marking came Ash" replied Harry standing up and looking at everyone who all gasped in shock and took a step back.

Harry's entire look had changed, his skin had become golden brown and blemish free and his facial features had become perfectly symmetrical, so that he was almost too beautiful. His eyes, on the other hand, had gone a luminescent pearl colour without any pupil's or irises to distinguish between.

"So... you're all shocked by my new look are you?" said Harry with a bitter laugh, "I don't blame any of you though, but just so you know I may look like Ash but I am still me."

"What are you talking about, mate?" asked Ron puzzled but Harry ignored him and continued to stare at Malfoy, which he'd been doing for the last minute or so, thus everyone else turned to look at him as well.

"Can I help you?" asked Malfoy, raising one eyebrow in inquiry.

"You weren't surprised to see me like this, why is that?" asked Harry curiously.

"What do you think Potter?"

"You know Ash, don't you?"

"How would I know Ash?"

"I don't know, but...," started Harry but then a thought seemed to occur to him and he said instead, "Of course! That night in the corridor when we slept together and I had that dream where we kissed; it wasn't a dream, was it?"

"What?" came a lot of shocked gasps from the class and teacher who were all listening to this in confusion.

"We kissed did we?" asked Malfoy in amusement and his lips twitched into a faint smile.

"Um... no, I don't mean you and I but you and Ash" said Harry embarrassed.

"And what if we did?" asked Malfoy curiously, causing more gasps of shock to be elicited from his classmates and Slughorn.

"You're a descendant of one of the other Forgotten and it's your fault that Ash has the power he does" said Harry incredulous, as Ash's memories started to seep into his own.

Suddenly, Harry went pale under his perfect tan as another of Ash's memories seeped into his own and he said, half begging, to Malfoy, "No, please no, don't say it please don't offer it, I don't want to fade."

"Harry what's wrong, what are you talking about?" asked Hermione worriedly but Harry never got to answer her for Malfoy made up his mind and interrupted the conversation.

"I'm sorry Potter but I've already decided that I would do anything for Ash, so what do you say to us ending this farce?" said Draco and then, before anyone could say anything he calmly added, "Do you wish for blood? Then I gladly offer my own."

"What are you saying, Draco?" gasped Pansy shocked.

"_Draco_" purred a hypnotic voice, reverberating throughout the classroom and everyone who wasn't expecting it stopped shocked, for it had come from Harry.

"Potter?" asked Professor Slughorn shocked.

"_Not quite,_" replied Ash with a feral smile, "_Now if you will excuse me, there is something I must do before Harry Potter breaks through again_."

Without another word Ash headed towards Draco in a sinuously hypnotic walk that was also dangerously suggestive. Everyone swallowed nervously at Ash's walk, including Draco but Draco stayed where he was, knowing that whatever happened he'd invited it by offering his blood to Ash.

It wasn't long before Ash reached Draco and once there he cupped Draco's right cheek with his left hand and said, almost huskily, "_Thank you, Draco_."

Then without another word and without any warning Ash brought his mouth down to the junction where Draco's neck met his shoulder and bit down; piercing the skin with his sharp canines, thus causing Draco's eyes to widen in shock and some of the class to go slightly green while the rest fainted.

After he'd drunken a few mouthfuls of blood, Ash removed his mouth from Draco's neck, looked him in the eye and once more said, "_Thank you, Draco,_" then Ash faded and became Harry who mumbled, "I think I'm going to be sick" before passing out.


	10. Chapter Nine: Ash

**Disclaimer: **See Prologue

**Author's Note: **Hey, I know that I'm updating the story later then I usually do but I went to get a needle this morning and it HURT. Man I hate needles, please read and review or just read or just review I don't mind. I don't even care if you flame me, I like fire, it's sooo pretty ciao!

**Chapter Nine: Ash**

_The truth about Ash finally comes to light..._

Harry awoke slowly, not really willing to open his eyes and face what had happened. In fact he was half hopeful that he'd had the worst nightmare ever, but he knew that that was highly unlikely. So he kept his eyes closed and continued to lie where he was and as he did this he realized that Ash's memories were no longer seeping into his own. He could still remember, though, all the thoughts, feelings and memories of Ash's that had seeped through.

Slowly Harry became aware of the sound of hushed conversation happening around him and he realized that there were those who were waiting for him to awaken. So with a weary sigh he opened his eyes and when he did he found himself lying in a bed in the hospital wing.

When Harry opened his eyes he found himself looking at the ceiling of the hospital wing, which wasn't all that surprising considering that he was lying on his back in a hospital bed. So with another sigh Harry suddenly sat up, causing those in the room to stop what they were doing in shock, thus allowing Harry the time to see who was in the room with him. Looking around him Harry took in the fact that the Headmaster was standing a few feet from him and had been quietly talking with Professor's McGonagall, Snape and Slughorn. Ron and Hermione were off to his left, along with Ginny, Neville, Seamus and Luna Lovegood. Remus, Tonks, Hagrid and a few other Order members were standing not far from the Headmaster and other three Professors'. Looking to his right, Harry was surprised to find Draco Malfoy sitting on the bed closest to his own.

"Harry!?" exclaimed Hermione and she and Ron moved slightly closer to Harry's bedside.

"Hey 'Mione, Ron" said Harry with a weak smile.

"Is it really you mate?" asked Ron uncertainly and he and Hermione took another step closer.

"Yeah, it's me, Ash is... sleeping would be the best word for it, I suppose."

"Oh, Harry" exclaimed Hermione tearfully and she threw herself at Harry and embraced him in a tight hug.

"It's okay, 'Mione," said Harry returning the hug and then, looking over Hermione's shoulder he said to Ginny, "Gin, I'm so sorry for what I said to you, but you have to understand that I didn't want too, Ash made me say those words. None of you can know how powerful he truly is."

"That is what we are here for, Harry" said Dumbledore, stepping forward to the foot of Harry's bed.

"You want to know everything that I know about Ash, don't you?" said Harry with resignation, releasing Hermione who stepped back to Ron's side.

"That is correct and we would also like to know what Draco has to do with all of this" said Dumbledore, nodding his head in Malfoy's direction.

Harry looked at Malfoy curiously, wondering how Malfoy could've agreed to the things that he did. For Harry had quite a few of Ash's memories now and thus he knew what it was that Malfoy had agreed too but he didn't have access to Ash's earliest memories. The memories that explained where Ash came from and how he had become the way he was. Harry probably stayed staring at Malfoy too long, for when he came back to himself he found that Malfoy was smiling at him in amusement.

"Okay," said Harry looking back at Dumbledore, "I'll tell you what I know, but... _if we are going to talk about my life, then I should be the one to tell it, do you not agree Harry Potter?_" interrupted Ash, causing Harry to clamp his left hand over his mouth.

"That was Ash, I presume?" said Dumbledore, looking at Harry who kept his hand where it was and nodded warily.

"If he wishes to tell us his own story and will tell it truthfully then, perhaps, we should let him tell it" suggested Dumbledore.

"If that's what you want then I won't fight it, but... I don't like fading, as I don't know what it is that Ash does and it must be kept in mind that Ash is extremely dangerous. That is something that I am absolutely certain about" said Harry and he had gone quite pale at the thought of letting Ash take control.

"The choice is yours Harry, if you don't want to let Ash take control then we will respect that choice but if you do decide to let Ash take over then we will be wary" said Dumbledore.

"Okay," said Harry softly and he slowly allowed himself to fade but as he did he heard Ash whisper to him *_Do not fear Harry Potter, I will keep you close enough to the surface that you will be able to know everything it is that I say and do_.*

All those in the hospital wing watched Harry anxiously, unsure as to what was happening, for Harry's head had lowered and it was hard to tell what was happening without being able to see the eyes. There was one in the room who could sense what was happening, though, and the first thing that the others in the room knew about it was when Draco suddenly sat up straight, leant towards Harry's bed and breathed, "Ash."

"_Draco_" purred Ash, turning his head so that he could look at Draco through his pearl coloured eyes.

"So you're Ash?" said Dumbledore.

"_Yes and you are Albus Dumbledore_" replied Ash tearing his gaze off of Draco and looking at Dumbledore, so that everyone else in the room could see the perfection that was Ash.

"You know of me?" asked Dumbledore surprised.

"_Of course, I know all that Harry Potter knows_."

"That makes sense I suppose," mumbled Dumbledore before adding, "Now, will you truthfully tell us your story?"

"_Of course, I said I would and so I shall. I and the others like, yet different, to me call ourselves The Forgotten, though I am sure that there are those who would call us something different. We were created long ago by our Lord, he who you all know as Salazar Slytherin...,_"

"What!?" came the shocked voices of all in the room bar two.

"_You now know what it is you are facing, do you not Albus Dumbledore? And it fills you with fear_." said Ash mockingly, never removing his pearl eyed gaze from Dumbledore's.

"Yes, you're correct there, I do know who you are now and the knowledge does indeed fill me with fear but there are those here who do not know your story and should. Also there are some things that I am unclear about" said Dumbledore and those who knew him were shocked to see that he really was afraid.

"_As I was saying,_" continued Ash, "_The others and I were created by our Lord and how this was done was, our Lord acquired children, no older than five, and mixed our genetic makeup with that of the many magical creatures that inhabit our world. I was created different to the others though, for I was created to Lead them and so I have been turned into what you would call a monster_."

"_We do not see it that way though, for the others are only loyal to me and our Lord. He who I would never betray, for when I turned eighteen our Lord told me his greatest kept secret. It was also during my eighteenth year that things in fact changed forever. It all occurred a couple of weeks after the day of my birth_."

"_You see, the others who had founded Hogwarts alongside our Lord finally found out about us and they were not happy, especially with my creation. So they waited for a time when the students had all gone home and set out to capture me. Which they succeeded in doing and I was taken inside the castle while the others were locked outside, for without me or our Lord to give them an order the others did not know what to do. While they waited outside, I was 'trapped' inside a bubble like spell. Now when I say I was trapped I do not mean that I could not escape, for I could if I had wanted too but my Lord had forbidden me from attacking anyone without his say so. I would never disobey my Lord so I stayed within the spell. Godric, Helga and Rowena were lucky that they never tried to harm my Lord within my presence, for if they had I would have disobeyed and I would have ripped them apart. That is the only time I would ever disobey, when my Lord's life was in danger of being lost_."

"_So the other three Founders decided it would be best if I was killed. My Lord on the other hand had other ideas, knowing that I am a very powerful mind reader; he dropped his mind shields and showed me what it was he wanted me to do. I was told to allow the other three to kill my body but I was to cast my own spell that would trap my soul within the dead flesh until such a time as a new home could be found for it_."

"_I was incredibly lucky that the other three did not decide to kill the others, instead they led them deep into the forest where they buried me twelve feet down. Then they trapped the other Forgotten in a new dimension that they created, a new dimension that became increasingly unstable as time went by. It took a fair amount of time for my powers to return and strengthen enough for me to be able to contact the others. It was before I was strong enough that a James Potter accidently stumbled into our prison. I had only been able to contact the others once before this time, to tell them what it was we were to do. So they told James Potter a made up story about something-or-other, which he believed for there is an innocence about them that I do not have. James Potter agreed to help us but begged that first he be allowed to say goodbye to his friends and family. The others, not having me around to tell them otherwise, said he could and so he left and never came back. We knew his soul signature now though, so when my power came back we searched for it and instead found Harry Potter's_."

"_Harry Potter may not be the one we were looking for but we could use him just as easily as we could have used his father before him. So we called him to the forest and there a ritual was performed that transferred my soul into this body. You see, there is one thing above everything else that we want to do and that is we wish to utterly destroy all the descendants of those who turned against our Lord, as well as those who just chose to follow the traitor's. We are nearly at the stage now when that shall be possible_" finished Ash with a vicious smile.

There was a shocked silence throughout the hospital wing when Ash finished speaking, a silence that was broken by Dumbledore clearing his throat and asking, "What has Draco got to do with any of this?"

"_Draco is a descendent of a child who was born amongst us and who was sent away before we were trapped. He is also my tie, the one who has truly allowed me to take over this body and as long as he stays mine, I will never fade_" explained Ash calmly but his words caused everyone else to look at Draco in disbelief.

"So Draco is one of you?" asked Snape incredulous.

"_Yes, though his powers did not awaken until recently, when he agreed to help us_."

"Malfoy's defection doesn't really surprise me, what I want to know is why Ash wants to kill us all, his Lord is long dead after all and it's not like we had anything to do with it. I mean, so what if we're in Gryffindor house or Hufflepuff, why does it affect Ash so badly that he will not leave well enough alone?" asked Hermione waspishly.

"_The answer to that question is the hidden secret that my Lord told me when I turned eighteen_."

"Really? And what's that?" snapped Ron.

"_It is quite simple really, I am the first born son of Salazar Slytherin_" replied Ash without emotion.

"You're joking!?" said everyone, bar one, in the room incredulous.

"_No, I am not and now there are two things that need to happen_."

"And what's that, destroy the world?" asked Ron sarcastically.

"_Not quite,_" said Ash calmly, then, turning to Draco he said, "_Draco you must leave the castle and join the others, now_."

For a moment it looked like Draco was going to argue but then he realized that Ash wouldn't send him away unless it was really necessary. So with a nod Draco got up and left and those who might have tried to stop him found, to their dismay that they couldn't move.

"_You_ _did not believe I would allow you to stop him, did you?_" said Ash with a wicked smile.

"You must be powerful indeed to be able to hold us all here" said Dumbledore calmly, showing none of the anxiety he felt at being unable to break Ash's spell.

"_You have no idea of the full extent of my powers and if I am the one to win full control of this body then my powers will increase exceptionally_."

"What do you mean by win?" asked Hermione suspiciously.

"_My father created a spell and left it within my soul so that when Harry Potter and I reached a certain stage we would be drawn within it. So when I activate the spell Harry Potter and I will be drawn into the deep recesses of this mind where we will face each other in a Labyrinth like arena and the winner gets to keep this body while the loser disappears_."

"You can't be serious!" exclaimed Hermione.

"_And why not?_" asked Ash curiously.

"Because you can't seriously believe that we would let you, do you? All we have to do is remove you and Harry will remain as himself!" said Ron triumphantly.

"_I am afraid it is too late for that, I have already activated the spell_" said Ash wickedly and he released his hold on Harry's body and sunk into the spell.

Everybody stood frozen in shock as Ash faded and Harry returned but Harry only had enough time to whisper, "Help me!" before he too was dragged into the spell. Without a sound Ash and Harry's shared body closed its eyes and slumped backwards onto the bed, waiting for whoever it was who would return to claim it fully as their own.


	11. Chapter Ten: Forget Me Not

**Disclaimer: **See Prologue

**Author's Note: **Okay all, here is the last chapter of The Forgotten, hope you all like it and have enjoyed the journey so far. I would like to say thank you to everyone who has read this story and fave'd it and a massive 'you rock and absolutely kick arse' to everyone who reviewed. I've been thinking about writing a sequel to this story but I'm not sure, what do you all think?

**Chapter Ten: Forget Me Not**

_Harry or Ash finally lose the battle for dominance over their shared body, but which one is it...?..._

Harry landed with quite a thump in Ash's Labyrinth like arena and with only one glance around he could see why Ash had called it that. Harry was in what looked like a glass Labyrinth and because it was see-through he could see the four floors below him and all the creatures that inhabited the Labyrinth.

"_Do you want to know the rules, Harry Potter?_" came Ash's unexpected voice from behind him.

"_Fuck!_" yelled Harry startled, turning around so fast that he nearly fell over.

"_Careful, you would not wish me to win so easily, would you?_" said Ash, watching Harry with amusement.

"_What are you talking about and what rules?_" demanded Harry angrily and he also noticed the odd echo of the place that made his and Ash's voices the same.

"_It is simple really; you and I are here to kill the other. If you win the fight then you get to return to your body without me but if I win then the body is mine. Throughout this Labyrinth there are creatures to help you and creatures to help me. Neither of us can leave this place until one of us has won, so what say you to us starting now?_" explained Ash without emotion.

"_But... how am I meant to kill you? I mean, come on, even the Founders couldn't kill you. There's no way that I'm going to be able to succeed where they failed!_" said Harry incredulous.

"_You never know Harry Potter; after all, you do have something that the Founders did not_."

"_Really? And what's that?_"

"_The creatures that have been specially designed to help you_."

"_So... because of them I have a chance to win?_" asked Harry uncertainly.

"_Yes, because while you may not have the power to kill me, they most certainly do_" replied Ash solemnly.

"_Okay, fine, but what about spells? I don't know if you've noticed but I don't have my wand with me_."

"_That is okay because you do not need it. While you are in here you can do magic without a wand and you can also do spells that you would not normally be able to do or know the words for_."

"_Okay, good, let's get started_" said Harry, raising his right hand with one thought in mind and that was to obliterate Ash.

Harry was well and truly shocked when a massive black fireball erupted from his fingertips and headed for Ash. But Ash was no longer there, with a mischievous smile he darted down one of the Labyrinths many passages and disappeared. Harry swore softly to himself and headed down another of the passages, knowing that he'd have to keep an eye out for Ash and that the fight for his life had well and truly begun.

Draco had been patiently waiting with the other Forgotten for six hours, but now he could wait no longer. He could sense that Ash was in great danger and he had to go to him. At first the others had tried to talk him out of it but eventually they had agreed to help him and when he had asked why, they had explained that because he was with Ash they would do as he wished. As long as Ash wasn't around to countermand his orders, that is.

So Draco and the others all headed for the castle and the hospital wing where the one most important to them all was, hopefully, waiting. They all traversed the castles corridors like ghosts, silently and gracefully moving through the crowds of students who all stopped and stared in wonderment at the group of angelic looking creatures. But not all the students stayed quiet, for one of them believed that she recognized one of the strange creatures.

"Draco?" came Pansy's disbelieving voice.

"Pansy" said Draco coming to a halt.

"What are you doing and who are all these people?" asked Pansy stepping closer and all the students around them stopped to hear the answer.

"These people are my family, though they call themselves the Forgotten and we are going to go and lend our support to Ash" explained Draco patiently and then without another word he and the others continued their walk to the hospital wing.

"Draco, wha...?" started Pansy, heading after Draco but she stopped short when the twenty-three Forgotten spun in her direction with the most vicious looks on their faces that she had ever seen.

"That's enough, Pansy! If you do not leave well enough alone, then we are going to have to kill you" said Draco without emotion.

"What?" came many shocked gasps as all the students tried to back off fast, including Pansy.

With that obstacle dealt with and with all the students in a rush to get out of their way, it wasn't long until the twenty-four of them reached their destination. Upon their arrival, Draco and the twenty-three Forgotten were greeted with the sight of the Headmaster, a few of the Professors', Order members and a few members of the DA standing around the inert body of Harry Potter. Still walking with their silent tread, that gave those in the room no clue that they were there, the Forgotten and Draco converged on the group by the bed. The first that the Hogwartian's knew that they weren't alone, was when Draco stepped in amongst them and up by Harry's bodies bed.

"What are you doing here, Malfoy?" snarled Ron angrily, noticing Malfoy.

"We thought that we'd come and lend our support to Ash" replied Draco calmly.

"What do you mean by we?" demanded Ron.

"Draco is talking about us" said Adara, calmly stepping up to Draco's side and with her movement the Hogwartian's registered all of the Forgotten.

"You're the Forgotten, aren't you?" said Hermione, looking in awe at all these men and women who looked eerily like Malfoy.

"That we are and we have come, at the behest of Draco, to see to it that none of you interfere with the battle between Harry Potter and our Leader" said Dirk, moving forward to stand by his mate and their penultimate grandson.

"What makes you think that you'd be able to stop us if we did decide to interfere?" asked Remus curiously.

"Ask him, he knows" said Dirk nodding in Dumbledore's direction.

"I suggest that we do not pick a fight with the Forgotten as it is highly unlikely that we will win," said Dumbledore, then switching his attention to the Forgotten he added, "Am I right in thinking that if we do not interfere with what is happening then, neither will you, right?"

"Correct, if you don't interfere, then neither shall we" affirmed Adara.

"But... Harry doesn't have a chance to win, not against Ash! He's just too powerful" said Hermione, almost hysterically.

"That's where you are wrong; where they are they are equals. The only thing that will determine who wins is whoever is more cunning and determined then the other" said Draco softly, without emotion.

"You mean... Harry actually has a chance at winning?" asked Ginny hopefully.

"That is correct and now all any of us can do is wait and see who comes back" said Draco, turning to look at the empty body.

He didn't know how long he'd been within the Labyrinth; all he knew was that he was hungry, thirsty, tired and that he hurt all over. It was so hard to fathom how much power the other had, in fact it was hard to fathom how much power he had, now that he came to think of it. But that was how it was meant to be in this place, they had to be even in power and ability so that he who was more deserving would win possession of the body.

Even though he knew that he was close to his breaking point he knew that the other was just as close to his own breaking point. It wouldn't be long now before one of them made a fatal mistake and when that happened the other one would leap at the chance to take over the body for good and without having to share it with the other one. Mind you, sharing the body hadn't been too bad, but he was definitely looking forward to having the body to himself. Just as soon as he could find where the other was hiding, that is.

The Labyrinth was truly something else with its five levels and many passageways. Then there were the creatures within it, the only way he could distinguish between the ones on his side and the ones that weren't, was that the ones on his side didn't attack him when he got close. He was sure that he'd been in the Labyrinth for days, trying to keep away from the creatures that wanted to eat him, and in that time he knew that he hadn't seen even half of its entirety. This fact was proven when he stepped within a vast space on the fifth level that he had never seen before.

The space that he'd entered was unlike any of the other places he'd seen within the Labyrinth, in both its vastness and the fact that there were no creatures within it; hostile or otherwise. Then there were the walls, floor and ceiling themselves which had an odd quality about them, almost like there were people moving within them. If he looked closer he could actually see the faces of people he knew or of the people that the other knew and whose memories he had shared so now he recognized them too. Within the walls he recognized the faces of Adara and Dirk of the Forgotten and their son, Damian. As well as the faces of Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Ron and Ginny Weasley, Hermione Granger and the faces of James and Lilly Potter. There were also the faces of Godric Gryffindor, Rowena Ravenclaw, Helga Hufflepuff, Salazar Slytherin and Draco Malfoy. In fact there were so many faces of those that he knew that it was difficult to register them all.

Right in the centre of the room was an azure blue plinth on which an object of some kind was resting. Moving closer to the plinth he noticed that the object seemed to be made of some kind of rainbow crystal and that it was in the shape of a Griffin with a large serpent wrapped around it. The crystal was also floating slightly above the plinth and was roughly around the size of a small dog. It also had the words Forget Me Not, in silver and gold, engraved on the chest of the Griffin.

Slowly, unsure as to what it would do, he reached out with his left hand to grab the crystal. But, with his hand perhaps a millimetre from the crystal, a voice whispered softly, "_You lose_" and then a blade pierced his heart from behind. Causing him to cry out in both pain and shock and caused his hand to close convulsively on the crystal which burst into a brilliant, rainbow light. As he died he heard the words, "_Forget me not_" pass through his own lips, to which the other replied, "_I could never forget_."

Without any warning he suddenly sat up in the hospital bed, gasping for air as his body and soul tried to re-acclimatize. All in the hospital wing had drawn back in shock at his sudden awakening and now they were all uncertainly waiting for the moment when they would see his eyes and thus see who had come back. So they all stood and waited, some more patiently then others, as he gasped and coughed for a few minutes as his body once more got used to having an inhabitant.

"I have returned and I have returned alone and it seems that the changes that were made are permanent" he said, staring at his own hands in wonderment and he finally looked up at everyone with his vibrant, emerald green eyes.

"Harry! You won!" said Hermione ecstatically, leaping onto the bed and embracing him in a fierce hug.

"It's good to see you too 'Mione but if you're not careful then you're going to do what Ash could not" said Harry with a faint chuckle.

"What do you mean?" asked Hermione confused, releasing Harry.

"Meaning that you were just trying to suffocate me" replied Harry with a warm smile to take the sting out of his words.

"Oops, sorry" said Hermione sheepishly.

"Don't worry about it."

"So Harry, mate, what happened in there?" asked Ron curiously and everyone else's attention sharpened as they all waited for the answer.

"Well... Ash and I couldn't get the better of the other until a time when Ash seemed to get distracted by a crystal statue. Then I took my chance and snuck up behind him and killed him" explained Harry with a shrug.

"Good and now the ferret and his family can leave, you won and that psycho lost, end of story" said Ron, almost angrily.

"Actually, they left a while ago" said Harry drawing everyone's attention to the fact that Draco and the Forgotten had left.

"What... where'd they go?" asked Snape shocked.

"Perhaps they didn't want to stay around with their Leader dead" said Dumbledore amiably.

"But... what are we going to tell Narcissa?" asked Snape.

"We will figure something out later, but for now I think we should leave Harry to sleep. I believe that he must be exhausted after all that has happened" replied Dumbledore calmly.

"I am quite tired" agreed Harry passively.

"Okay, night Harry and we'll see you tomorrow?" said Hermione.

"Of course, night and see you then" said Harry with a smile as everyone filed out and left him to himself.

It was later that night, much later, and a shadow slipped out of the castle and down to the Forbidden Forest. Where it stopped for a moment on the edge before entering under the dark branches. The shadow moved like a ghost, silently and gracefully moving ever deeper into the forests heart where a dimensional prison had been built and then sub-sequentially destroyed. Within this area was a group of 'people', all with pale hair and grey or silver eyes. Every member of the group looked dejected and lost and it was into this atmosphere that the shadow came.

"Why the long faces, everyone?" asked the shadow cheerfully, stepping in amongst them.

"What the?" started Draco in shock, then he recognized the stranger and he added in uncertainty, "Potter?"

"Not quite" said Harry with a feral smile and Draco and the Forgotten got tingles down their spines as they recognized both the words and that dangerous smile.

"Ash?" asked Draco in disbelief.

"The one and only" replied Ash in amusement.

"But... how? You said only one of you could win and that is Potter's look that you are wearing."

"True on both accounts but what I forgot to mention is that there was a little glitch in the game."

"What kind of glitch?"

"A rainbow crystal that was called Forget Me Not. The crystal was specially designed so that if Harry Potter touched it and then died, then I would return with Harry Potter's looks and mannerisms and vice versa" explained Ash and he walked closer to Draco until he was standing just in front of him.

"So... Potter lost?" asked Draco, still a little unsure.

"Yes, though those fools in the castle do not know it and I tell you what, it is going to be so much more fun this way. After all, who would ever suspect the hero, Harry Potter, of causing the worst darkness that this world has ever seen?" said Ash in contempt.

"Now that sounds like fun" said Draco with a smile.

"Doesn't it just? Now, Draco, do you feel that you could get used to me in this body? Do you still agree to be mine?" asked Ash and suddenly he was without emotion.

"You know what they say, it's what's inside that counts and even though you look like Potter, you are still you and that is all that matters" replied Draco, lying one hand on Ash's arm.

"Thank you, Draco" said Ash softly and he wrapped his arms around Draco and gave him a gentle, yet intense kiss that was never to be the last and all the Forgotten smiled in a vicious pleasure that their Leader had not died and that pretty soon the whole world was going to rue the day that any of them were ever born.


End file.
